Mobile Technology and Society

Cell Phones and Society Cell phones, how have they changed society? For better or for worse? Cell phones have adapted throughout generations, big and small. The technology increases every day, from the first phone, to now tablets. Does society rely on cell phones more then back then? How have the cell phones changed society with everyday tasks and communicating with one another. Do cell phones do more than one thing? I predict that cell phones have bettered us as a society, though every great invention has its ups and it’s downs.

Cell phones help us communicate with each other, not only by talking, texting, but web access too. But cell phones are heavily used, they are a necessity, and do cause distractions. Cell phones have changed dramatically throughout the years. 30 years ago you were not able to do as much with it as you do now. It wasn’t even possible to multitask with one, because the weight and size of the cell phone, not to mention that apps weren’t invented yet either. Now you see cell phones everywhere. Soccer moms using them in grocery stores, or when their shopping.

Kids and teens using them to play games or use them for the internet. Business men using them for work and projects. Cell phones have enabled us to do various tasks all at the same time. This brings up the evolution of cell phones. In 1983, Motorola unveiled the first portable phone. The phone was called the DynaTAC 8000X, and nicknamed the “brick” due to its heavy weight. These phones weren’t cheap neither, they were a whopping $4,000. For the price is didn’t do much glory. Its battery allowed for one hour of talk time and could store only 30 numbers.

These first-generation phones came in a tote bag that could charge the battery through a car’s cigarette lighter (ehow 1). When the second generation of phones came out in 1990, they were called 2G because they were able to work on TDMA (Time division multiple access) and CDMA (Code division multiple access) systems (ehow 1). Both U. S. and Europe were able to use them and these were the stepping stone phones to use internet. Then the Third generation of phones came out in 2000, also known as 3G. These phones are high tech and are known as multitasking phones.

They are upgraded with wifi, apps, texting, and receiving emails. Phones today are much more upgraded than their predecessors, but without the first generation phones, we wouldn’t have these great machines. This also brings up, do we depend on cell phones more then back then? Personally, yes. Today we use cell phones and technology for numerous amount of reasons. As technology grows, the need for them will grow. Cell phones are good because Having a cell phone can help in emergency situations. You may not have access to a landline telephone or another person’s cell phone.

They can help in all sort of emergencies whether its mother nature, or an accident. They are the fastest way to get a hold of someone. Another good reason of having cell phones is that you can use a cell phone as a replacement for a landline phone. This option can save you money, because instead having a house phone and a cell phone, you can just have one, and that means one service bill. Also a good reason to having a cell phone is being able to send text messages. Some cell phones use a media center that gives you a way to download songs and games and all sort of apps for your phone.

Also another good way cell phone helps us today is competition. Cell phone manufacturers also debate on who has the best cell phones and service plans. With the competition being so high, it only brings better choices for us. With there being a wide variety of cell phones, your sure to find one just for you. You can find cell phones with all the necessities of being a cell phone, or one with a lot of technology. Prices vary and now you can get a really good phone for under $50 or even free. If you’re not an Apple person, you can buy Android.

The preference is up to you. This also brings up why cell phones are bad for you. According to the National Safety Council, one in four U. S car crashes are led by cell phones. They say texting increases your chances by eight times of getting in to a car accident. Cell phones are not only bad when involved in car crashes, but they are bad socially. Yes you text and talk on the phone, but when you are with a group of people, majority of the time you’re looking at your cell phone. Teens today are more focused on their cell phones more than anything.

A study shows from social marketing forum, that teenagers become antisocial and are more likely to not build relationships when using a cell phone. Coming from my own experience with cell phones, is that it gets in the way with my studies. Weather I’m at school trying to listen to a teacher, or at home trying to do homework. My cell phone has so many gadgets that when it comes time to do something I get to distracted. Douglas Stewart of ehow. com says, “One of the greatest disadvantages of the cellular phone is the fact that we do not talk to strangers when traveling anymore.

In the past, several people waiting for a bus would engage in a conversation while they were waiting. People who traveled the same routes every day might develop friendships along the way. This situation does not happen anymore. Today when people are waiting for a bus, they just pull out their cell phones and speak with old friends, missing out on the opportunity to make new ones. In large cities, many people do not know their neighbors, even though they may have lived in the same neighborhood for years. As a society, we are beginning to lose the face-to-face contact that was such an important part of our lives in the past”.

After reading this I thought this is so true. Back then when cell phones weren’t as depended on, people would be able to form relationships form everyday things. Such as going on a bus, or flying on a plane. We get so accustomed to texting someone we know instead of trying to get to know the person next to us. Another interesting quote was from Mike Masnick of Techdirt. com he says, “Three years ago, we wrote about the fact that very few people back up the address book in their mobile phones — and when they lose those phones, it can be like losing access to certain people. It appears not much has changed.

In a more recent article, a bunch of people with similar stories, suggesting that losing a mobile phone is like being “disconnected from life. ” Of course, with social networks and email and other forms of communication, it’s not necessarily as dramatic, but it does make you wonder why more mobile operators don’t offer services to automatically back up mobile phone address books”. When reading this, first thing I thought of was when they said “disconnected from life”. I hear this all the time from friends and students around me. It seems as though cell phones does play a huge role in society.

We are socially depended on cell phones. We can use our cell phones for websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Myspace. Since cell phones have built in cameras, we can take a snap shot and upload them to the internet. Also we can upload videos to the internet too. Cell phones have a never ending supply of apps. You can use them for all sorts of things. Even though games like Angry Birds is well downloaded, some apps are useful. If your phone has a built in flash, you can use it as a flash light. Or how about when you going grocery shopping, they have an app for writing down lists.

What I’m trying to say is that It’s no wonder why our generation is depended on these things. In conclusion, cell phone plays a big role in everyday society, some good, and some bad. Based off of my research I believe they play more of a good role rather than bad. The pros outweighs the cons by double. As a active cell phone user, I’d like to say that is plays a big role in my life as well. You see it every day, and you probably see from your friends too. This generation depends on it, and with technology growing every day, cell phones are just going to be more depended on.